It’s the kind of technology James Bond would use if he got bored of the colour of his Aston Martin.
Scientists are said to have developed a new paint coating for cars that changes colour at the touch of a button.
Perfect for those who can’t decide the colour of their new car, or for that matter bank robbers, the ‘paramagnetic’ paint could be on the market as early as 2010.
One manufacturer who is rumoured to be interested in the new technology is Nissan.
Before the car is painted a special polymer containing the ‘paramagnetic’ iron oxide particles is applied to the vehicle’s body.
An electric current then changes the spacing of small crystals within the iron oxide particles, thus changing their ability to reflect light and change colour.
The technology only works when a continuous small current runs through the paint.
When the car is switched off it returns to the default colour of white.
Exactly how difficult your car will be to find in a car park full of white cars when the technology takes off is anyone’s guess.
The process is said to take less than a second to change and can be any colour visible to the human eye.
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